Apple trees were in full blossom when Central European theologians gathered in Slovakia, Banska Bystrica in the beginning of April. One of the organisers was Mateusz Wichary, president of EBF. Chair of the Commission of Theology and Education, Einike Pilli, was invited as well. Participants were from Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia, Netherlands, and Poland, most of them connected to EBF.
The title of the gathering was „Consultation on Human Identity and Sexuality“ and this was the focus of the gathering indeed. Discussions about human rights and freedom, sexual identity and human identity in general, Biblical analyses of the Sodom and Gomorrah narrative compared to the prophet Hosea story, the issue of contextualisation and the possibility of dialogue were considered among several others. Consultation was done in good spirit of listening and observing each other. We took time for prayers, Bible readings and worship songs to keep the real focus on God, Creator and Redeemer of the world.
Central European Baptist Theologians Network (CEBTN) plans to gather for this kind of meeting every other year. At the end of this year’s meeting, we took time to gather ideas for future gatherings – plenty is waiting for Central Europeans next time! Maybe next time we will share these interesting discussions with even more participants. I look forward to it!
